09/04/2026
LAKE WATER TESTING AT LAKE BARON
Quick update on the lake.
We had Lahontan out here recently to test the water, and they recommended putting up a yellow caution advisory at the boat ramp. Here’s what they found:
A low amount of a cyanobacteria species (Snowella)
A very low amount of Microcystin... below the level where they’d issue a health advisory
Some visual signs of algae that can change quickly when it’s warm
So right now it’s not at a level considered dangerous for people or pets, but things can shift fast. The caution sign basically means: don’t let dogs drink the water, avoid any scummy or discolored patches, and rinse them off after swimming.
Lahontan’s planning one more test in late September or early October, and we’re keeping an eye on it until then.
With temps dropping from the 80s into the 60s, the lake pretty much stops being “prime algae weather.” Cyanobacteria love warm, still water, so when it cools off this quickly, their growth slows way down and any little patches that were starting up tend to fade. It doesn’t erase everything overnight, but it definitely pushes things in the right direction as we head into fall.
The coming rain will help too, it bumps the lake level up, which means more water moves out through the overflow. Anytime you’ve got fresh water coming in and old water moving out, the lake isn’t sitting still. Algae like stagnant conditions, so the cooling, mixing, and flushing all make it harder for anything to build up. Not a magic fix, but another nudge in the right direction.
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